2 Venue

3 Registration

The registration desk at the conference venue will be open as follows:

Sun 30 Aug -- 8:15 - 17:00

Mon 31 Aug -- 8:00 - 17:00

Tue 1 Sep -- 8:30 - 17:00

Wed 2 Sep -- 8:30 - 17:00

Thr 3 Sep -- 8:30 - 14:00

Late registrations will also be possible on Fri and Sat.

4 Accommodation

We have arranged for hotel accommodation to be reserved through the Edinburgh Convention Bureau. Follow this link for a description of the accommodation and a link to the booking form.

We recommend early booking, since the conference dates overlap with those of the Edinburgh Festival.
For those on a tight budget, Edinburgh also has a variety of hostel and bed/breakfast accommodation, but this
must be booked privately.

Please note that the bookings in the accommodation system were only reserved until Monday 20 July. Bookings may still be available, but are at the discretion of the individual sites. If you need additional assistance with bookings, please contact bookings@conventionedinburgh.com directly. It may also be possible to make late bookings through standard online booking systems, e.g. laterooms.com, expedia, lastminute.com

5 Travel

You can find comprehensive information on travel to Edinburgh on the Visit Scotland page Getting to Edinburgh. Some additional specific information is below.

5.1 Plane

Edinburgh airport (EDI) is the most convenient. A cab to the city centre takes about 20 minutes and costs about £20. Airlink runs a shuttle to Waverley steps that takes 25 minutes and costs £3.50 one-way or £6.00 return.
Airport buses run every 15 minutes throughout the day, and pick up/drop off outside Haymarket station,
in Shandwick Place (west end), Princes St, and on the bridge to the West of Waverley station (Waverley steps).

Glasgow airport offers a similar range of destinations, and Ryanair also fly to/from the rather less convenient Prestwick airport (about 2.15 hours by train/bus to/from Edinburgh; change in Glasgow - note that if you travel by train, you will need to transfer station from Central to Queen St - there is a shuttle bus).

5.2 Train

Edinburgh Waverley Station is the most convenient for downtown, and the terminus for many trains in either direction. Trains to/from the North or Glasgow also
stop at Haymarket in the West of the city. Local trains run to some suburbs, and to Fife, but within the city are generally not competitive with the bus in time/cost/frequency.
Fast trains to/from Glasgow run every 15 minutes from both main stations. There is no train to/from the airport.

There are (scenic!) railway lines to Pitlochry, Aviemore, Inverness, Fort William (change in Glasgow), Mallaig (for Skye via Fort William, change in Glasgow), Kyle of Lochalsh (for Skye; change in Inverness), Thurso/Wick (for Orkney; change in Inverness).
Journey times can be very iong, especially after Inverness. Corrour Halt is the most isolated station in the UK, with no road access (and no houses!!). There is a bunkhouse on the station and a youth hostel! Don't get left behind here!

The national rail enquiry website gives train times and prices, or you can ask at the station. Buy tickets before you travel. For long journeys, booking in advance and fixing train times can be significantly cheaper. It is sometimes also cheaper to buy two single tickets than one return ticket.

5.3 Long-Distance Buses

Express buses from the main bus station operate to many parts of the Highlands, including Glencoe, Fort William, Skye, Inverness, Ullapool. These can be good ways to get into the Scottish Highlands, and are much cheaper than the train, but keep an eye on the bus schedules! Buses also operate to the borders, Glasgow, Dundee, Perth and Fife, as well as many parts of England (but journey times can be high!).
Most of the long distance buses are run by National Express. Buses to the borders are run by several companies, including First Group

5.4 Local Transport in Edinburgh

Local buses are mainly run by Lothian Buses (red and white buses), who have an interactive route map. Buses run frequently throughout the day, with restricted routes for night buses between midnight and 4am.
Local buses are fixed fare and no change is given. Pay when you board the bus. A single ticket (any journey length) is £1.20. A one-day ticket can be bought on the bus and offers unlimited travel for £3 (not valid on the Airlink buses). A one-week ticket costs £15 and is available from three city centre locations. Most city centre destinations are within 15-30 mins walk.

Note that Princes St (the main shopping street) is closed to all traffic because of tram works. Many
bus routes (including 25/45 to the Heriot-Watt residences and 30/48/X48 to Pollock Halls) are diverted along George St, closer to
the ICFP venue at the RCPE in Queen St.

Taxis are metered, but expensive. Look for black cabs, with amber lights indicating they are available. They will pick up anywhere in the street,
except near a taxi rank, where there is a queuing system. A taxi from the airport will cost £20. A taxi from the RCPE venue to Leith Waterfront costs about £5-7.

5.5 Driving in Edinburgh

Note that driving in central Edinburgh is not recommended (Princes St, George St, Shandwick Place
and around), because of the tram works that
are ongoing at the moment. If you do have to drive watch out for diversion signs (which
may change from day to day), and be aware that SatNavs may not know the current state of the
road system. Queen Street (the RCPE venue) is, however, easily accessible in both directions,
and there is on-street parking (metered) close to the RCPE.

Beware that on-street parking is generally quite limited and can be expensive in the city centre. Edinburgh traffic wardens are notorious, so don't take a chance by not paying (and be sure
to display your ticket properly if using a pay and display machine)! Be very wary of resident-only parking or similar restrictions.
On-street parking is generally free on Sundays and after 18:30 on other days. If you are staying at a large hotel,
they may be able to offer private parking spaces for a fee. It is possible to find free parking about 1-2 miles
from the city centre, e.g. in Leith (and then take a bus), or to use one of the Park and Ride facilities on the edge of the city (but the journey time to the city centre is then usually around 30-45 mins by bus).

5.6 Car Hire

There are many car hire companies operating both from the airport and from locations in the city
(but mostly a little way out of the centre).
The usual cost is about £25-30 per day for a small car. Make sure you have adequate insurance, and check the car thoroughly for any damage before you set off. A small scratch can
be very expensive, and may not be covered by the standard insurance! Petrol/diesel is about £1 per litre. Watch out for any mileage limits, and return the car full of fuel to avoid expensive refuelling charges. Driving in the UK is generally not difficult, and most other drivers are well mannered.
Remember to drive on the left (especially if travelling in the Highlands, where it isn't always obvious on small roads!), and watch out for the large number of roundabouts (traffic circles), especially in built up areas.

Holiday Autos usually offer good value, by reselling other companies excess capacity, and are worth checking for price comparisons. Full insurance is included: this often undercuts the host company's equivalent offer.

6 Edinburgh Festival

If you're interested in a specific concert or event, it's a good idea to book festival tickets early, since they
can sell out quickly. You can do this online. Fringe tickets can also be bought online or over the phone. It's worth paying the small booking fee (£0.90), since this avoids a long queue to collect
tickets from the Fringe booking office (there is a priority queue for pre-booked tickets).

During the Festival Fringe, the Royal Mile is closed to traffic between North Bridge and George IV. There
are two stages and numerous street performers in this area.
There will be a spectacular public Fireworks display on 6 September 2009
from 21:00. It will be visible from many parts of the city. You can buy tickets (they go quickly) to sit on the lawn in the park, or for free you can stand in Princes Street itself, in Princes St gardens or in one of the other central streets, but arrive early, since there will be many thousands of other revellers, and the police control access to Princes St!
There will also be a fireworks display from the castle after the Edinburgh Military Tattoo around midnight on Saturday August 29th. This will be visible from the city centre.

7 Extend your visit

Edinburgh Convention Bureau runs a site site to help you extend your visit, if you wish. The Central Scottish Highlands are within easy reach, or travel further to Glencoe, the West Highlands, Loch Ness or the Scottish islands including the Isle of Skye, Islay or the outer Hebrides.

8 Restaurants

Food in Britain is qualitatively better than even a few years ago. Edinburgh has many good restaurants in the centre and in main residential areas. Most open until 23:00/00:00. Reservations may be necessary during the festival.

Note that menu prices often increase during the festival, and that many good restaurants offer much cheaper "pre-theatre" menus in the early evening (usually before 19.00/19.30). Pubs will also often offer food at reasonable prices, but menu options can be limited, and quality can vary. Pubs, pizzerias and ethnic (Indian, Chinese) restaurants often offer the best value. Italian restaurants can be relatively expensive and are often uninspiring. For those on a real budget, we have given a few tips! Note that while most restaurants will sell bottled water, tap water is perfectly safe to drink and very pure. Restaurants will supply it free if you ask for it.

If you are travelling into the Highlands or Islands, note that restaurants often close much earlier than in the city (sometimes 20:00 or so in remote parts!), generally don't offer the same range of options, and are usually a little more expensive than a city equivalent (reflecting high transport costs). Again, most pubs will offer some food options.

Since 2007, all Scottish pubs, bars and restaurants are smoke-free.
If you would like to smoke, look for pubs with outside seating areas (often with heating). There are several in
George St.

8.17 Budget

The Standing Order, 62-66 George St, EH2 2LR: Part of the JD Wetherspoon chain (one of three in the city). Cheap breakfasts and coffee, good value pub food, cheap (and good) beer and free wifi in a large Grade A listed building, main meals from £2.99

There are also numerous "fish and chip" shops (traditional British fast food, fried in batter), snack bars/cafes, kebab shops, and street vendors around the city, as well
as national/international burger chains and Kentucky Fried Chicken. There are several inexpensive sandwich and takeaway outlets at Waverley station,
including a "Pasty" shop.

8.18 Vegetarian and Vegan

Almost all restaurants will have at least one vegetarian option; Indian/Italian/Pizza restaurants are always good choices for vegetarians.
Vegan options can be harder (Indian restaurants can be a good choice, but curry sauces and breads may contain milk products, so do ask
if in doubt). Most of the following have decent vegan ranges as well as catering to vegetarians.

L'Artichaut, Eire Place: Due to open in late August, Edinburgh's latest vegetarian restaurant is an offshoot of Jean-Michel Gauffre's La Garrigue restaurant, promising gourmet vegetarian dining with a very slight French twist. Update (5/9/09): apparently now open and good.

8.19 Gluten-Free

Many restaurants will offer to make gluten-free dishes (or adapt menu items), as long as you ask, but choices may be
restricted. Usually Indian or vegetarian restaurants (Annpurna, Black Bo's) are good choices - vegetarian places tend to be used to gluten free options. The following are known to offer good options (recommended by someone who is gluten intolerant):

8.21 Kosher

Edinburgh doesn't have a large Jewish community, and we are not aware of any specifically kosher restaurants, but some restaurants (e.g. the Ann Purna) will be
able to rise to the challenge, if asked. The organisers may also be able to make personal recommendations.

8.22 Nut Allergies etc

Most restaurants will be aware of nut allergies; many menus will indicate which items are nut free, and restaurants will often adapt dishes to suit.
Some menus will warn that dishes may contain traces of nuts. Other special dietary requirements can normally be discussed with the waiter/chef.

A google map showing our recommended restaurants and some other key points of interest can be found
here.

9 Pubs and Bars

Edinburgh has a large number of pubs and bars. Many of them will open late during the Festival (it is allegedly possible
to drink 23 hours of the day if you're so inclined!), and many have interesting decoration or historical connections.
Pubs will often serve food/snacks as well as drinks. Since 2007, all Scottish pubs, bars and restaurants are smoke-free.
If you would like to smoke, look for pubs with outside seating areas (often with heating). There are several in
George St.